Landmark Trial

[Guest guest]

Dear All,

These incredible trial results from a British Jury are being

withheld from the Public by a Press controlled by the Chemical

Companies.

If you read nothing else - read this incredibly GOOD NEWS!!!!!THE

PUBLIC HAVE SPOKEN!!! Love Penny

 

For immediate release:

Wednesday 20th September 2000.

 

28 GREENPEACE VOLUNTEERS ACQUITTED IN GM TRIAL

 

GREENPEACE WELCOMES VERDICT AND CALLS ON GOVERNMENT TO END GM FARM

EXPERIMENTS

 

Twenty-eight Greenpeace volunteers were acquitted today of criminal

damage

at Norwich Crown Court. The volunteers had gone on trial on September

4th

on

charges relating to a Greenpeace action at Lyng, Norfolk, on 26th July,

1999, where part of an experimental crop of genetically modified (GM)

maize

was cut down and sealed in bags as part of a campaign to prevent genetic

 

contamination of the environment.

 

Speaking immediately after the verdict, Peter Melchett, Executive

of Greenpeace, said:

 

" We're extremely happy with the verdict which totally vindicates our

campaign to prevent genetic pollution of the environment. We are

delighted

that an English jury was convinced that the Greenpeace volunteers were

rightly acting to protect property and the environment when they cut

down

and bagged the crop of GM maize. We now call on Government to end the GM

 

farmscale trials before any further genetic pollution of the environment

 

occurs. "

 

Peter Melchett continued:

 

" Greenpeace wanted to remove the GM maize in Norfolk because we believe

that

GM crops will inevitably contaminate the environment. The Government's

own

commissioned advisors - the John Innes Centre - told them that

contamination

was inevitable but they chose to ignore that advice. Since July 1999,

crops

of cotton in Greece have been found to have been contaminated by GM

cotton

and have had to be destroyed, the same has happened to oil seed rape and

 

soya crops in France, and hundreds of fields of oil seed rape were

contaminated in the UK and had to be destroyed.

 

The Government is currently reviewing separation distances imposed

between

GM crops and other similar crops - separation distances which we said

were

completely inadequate when we took action in July 1999. As a result of

the

GM contamination that has occurred this year, and the subsequent review

of

these buffer zones, a Government Minister has now been forced to admit

that

the Government may have to order the de-flowering of GM oil seed rape

crops

which are currently being planted, before they flower next spring. "

 

>>CONT>>

 

CONTACT: 07801 212969 (mobile in Norwich) 01399 787 076

(pager)

07946 358 454 (mobile in Norwich)

0171 865 8285 (press office)

 

 

Peter Melchett concluded:

 

" The GM maize at Lyng was designed to be fed to animals, in the

production

of beef, milk and other dairy products like butter and cream. There is

still GM material being used to feed farm animals in the UK, but

retailers

such as Iceland have already announced that none of their 'own-brand'

meat

or dairy products will come from animals fed on GM crops. Greenpeace

expects

other major supermarket chains like Tesco and Asda to follow suit over

the

next few weeks. Once this happens, the food chain in the UK will be

GM-free. In these circumstances the Government must stop promoting the

growing of GM crops so that British farmers can continue to sell

products

uncontaminated with GM. "

 

 

ENDS

 

 

CONTACT: 07801 212969 (mobile in Norwich) 01399 787 076

(pager)

07946 358 454 (mobile in Norwich)

0171 865 8285 (press office)

 

 

 

 

Dr. Douglas Parr

Chief Scientific Adviser

Greenpeace UK

+ 44 207 865 8240 direct line

+ 44 207 865 8202 fax

http:\\www.greenpeace.org.uk

 

 

 

 

 

Mark Ritchie, President

Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy

2105 First Ave. South

Minneapolis, Minnesota 55404 USA

612-870-3400 (phone) 612-870-4846 (fax)

mritchie www.iatp.org

http://www.gefoodalert.org